Lebanon Has Its Saints… Does It Have Statesmen?

An opinion article in An-Nahar asks whether Lebanon can build a real state amid its accumulated crises. The writer argues that saints do not compensate for the absence of a state, and that the monopoly on weapons by the Lebanese Army and keeping the decision of war and peace in the hands of constitutional institutions is a Lebanese sovereign matter, not a concession to Israel or America. He refers to the tripartite framework between Lebanon, Israel and the United States signed on 26 June 2026, which links the state's recovery of its authority and the disarmament of non-governmental groups to verification mechanisms allowing a gradual redeployment of Israeli forces outside Lebanese territory. He stresses that withdrawal, an end to land, air and sea violations, and the return of residents are Lebanese rights, not prices, and that support for the army is a condition for any settlement, linking sovereignty to recovering depositors' money and addressing economic collapse and emigration.